More than $505,000 in grants were recently awarded to help Pennsylvania’s rural communities guard against the threat of fires in forests and other undeveloped areas, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced.

Local firefighting forces in rural areas or communities with fewer than 10,000 residents qualified to apply for the aid. Last year, the grant program awarded $540,000 to 141 fire companies across the state.

Grants and other assistance were provided through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of Forestry, with funding supplied by the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service. The maximum grant awarded was $7,500.

The grants will be used to purchase wildfire-suppression equipment and protective clothing.

Grants also were awarded for mobile or portable radios, water supply installations, wildfire prevention and mitigation, wildfire fighting training, and to convert and maintain federal excess vehicles the bureau receives and uses for fire suppression.